Just The Way You Are
by Madi Winchester
Summary: He stood there watching me, a certain gleam in his light green eyes, similar to my own. The way his fair blonde hair fell over one of those eyes, soft as silk. I just wanted to reach out, to touch those strands, to curl my fingers in them. His lips tilt up at the corners in a soft smile, making my insides melt. How could he have this effect on me? CLABASTIAN - NO CLACE AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hey guys. I'm going to focus on this fanfiction along with 'The Mysterious Redhead' for a while because its hard to keep track of all the others. When I feel I need a break from these stories, I will continue with the others :) I've been thinking about doing a Clebastian fic for a while and finally had this idea! So here ya go! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mortal Instruments books, characters, or anything you may recognize. I only own the plot or any OC's my mind conjures up.**

 **All rights go to the wonderful Cassie Clare!**

 _~ The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. ~_

 _~Helen Keller_

Chapter 1

This was it. The end of my college years. I was graduating with a degree in Teaching, along with my best friend, Isabelle Lightwood. Simon Lewis, my best friend since pre-school, however, was getting a degree in Video Game Design and Production. 'Once a nerd, always a nerd.' As Isabelle always says. Simon would just glare playfully while Isabelle and I snickered at his annoyed expression. Eventually, he would join in our laughter until we all were on the floor with tears in our eyes from crying so hard. Those were the times that I always cherished. I grew up in an Orphanage, my mother and father abandoned me when I was just a baby, no explanation. Eventually, Simon's mother took me in and we are like family. That's how we became friends actually. I remember that day, it was and always will be the best day of my life.

~~~~~~~ Flashback~~~~~~~~

 _"Clarissa Fray, please come down to the lobby." I wake up from my small nap to Mrs. Trump calling me down. My heart starts beating faster and butterflies fill my stomach in excitement. Am I going to be adopted? I ask myself, hope filling my emerald green eyes. I was in Pre-School at the time, only four years old and as I got up quickly, heading to my drawers, I had a huge smile on my face. My freckles stood out with my pale skin and I put my fiery red hair up into a ponytail to keep it contained. I went into the bathroom and changed my clothes, now wearing jeans and a purple shirt with a butterfly on it that sparkled. Happy with my appearance, I bounce down the stairs to see Mrs. Trump talking to an older woman who had two kids. A boy my age and someone who must've been in middle school._

 _"Um.. Hi." I say, turning shy. "I'm Clary." The boy smiles, he was cute. He had shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkled when he looked at me. He had on glasses too big for his face which hung on the tip of his nose. A dopey smile spreads across his face._

 _"I'm Simon!" He says cheerfully, pulling me into an awkward embrace. "And you're my new sister!" The older girl laughs at him and smiles at me._

 _"I'm Rebecca." I smile at Rebecca and take Simon's hand in mine._

 _"Best friends?" I ask, giggling. Simon smiles brightly and blushes._

 _"Best friends." He replies, and I giggle again as we both lock each other into a tight embrace. That was the day I met my family and my new best friend._

~~~End of Flashback~~~

I smile at the thought as I sit in my apartment which I shared with.. Well, no one. It was nice, I was always alone with my thoughts and could paint without interruptions. Right now I sat in my bedroom, it was quite plain, with light blue walls and paint splatters over the walls. This brought up another memory of when Simon and I decorated this room.

~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~

 _"Simon, Simon Simon!" I run up to Simon, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. We were 19 at the time, halfway through our first year of college. I had just bought an apartment, and was so excited._

 _"Gosh, what's up Clary?" Simon chuckles, wrapping his arms around my petite waist as I squeal into his shoulder._

 _"I bought an apartment!"_

 _"What? Show me."_

 _"Okay, gladly!" I couldn't contain my excitement as I drove us to my apartment, I already had the plan for my room and wanted Simon to help decorate. Once we walk inside, I pull him in my room and close the door._

 _"Are you going to kill me? Oh gosh I knew this day was coming.." I roll my eyes at him and gesture to my dull room that had no furniture._

 _"No you doof. We're going to decorate." I say, blowing a piece of hair out of my face that had fallen out of my messy bun. That year, I had been a rebel and dyed it brown, but the red always took over. Simon sends a stupid smile my way and looks over at one of my easels. It had a drawing of the park in the fall on it and I knew what he was planning as soon as he saw it._

 _"No."_

 _"Yes." He grabs a paint brush dipped in red and splatters it across the painting, and my face turns red. I grab one dipped in purple and fling it at him, but he ducks and the purple paint splatters onto my already light blue walls. He flicks green at the me, but it flies past and hits the other side of the wall._

 _"You're ruining my wall!" I shout, but can't hold back the laughter escaping me. Simon's eyes get wide like he has an idea, then he splatters yellow, then blue, then green, then pink, then orange, then black and so on paint on my walls, me helping. Soon, there's a variety of paint and colors splattered across my wall and we smile at our work. "This is perfect." I say, smiling wide and embracing Simon._

~~~~~End of Flashback~~~~~

Again I smile. I always made the best of memories with Simon, and I'm glad he's my friend. Isabelle, well I met her my Sophomore Year of High School. She was new in town, along with her two brothers: Alec and Jace. Alec and I didn't quite hit it off at first, but now we're close friends along with his sparkly boyfriend, Magnus Bane. I sigh, laying back on my bed as I smile, thinking of all the good times I've had. It's always times like these when we realize who our true friends are. And my true friends are Simon and Isabelle, along with Alec, Jace, and Magnus. Forget about my family, they threw me away when I was a baby. My friends are my family. And they're all I need. Simon's mother, along with Rebecca, are also my family. I smile. And family will always be there to pick you up when you fall. No matter what. And I know that now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Heyyy! So another chapter of Just The Way You Are! Glad you guys like it :) Hope you enjoy chapter two!**

 **Just wanted to point out that Jonathan never met his mother, or knew he had a sister in this fanfiction. So he doesn't know Clary is his sister.**

 **So someone asked if Clary knew who her parents were. She doesn't, and neither do the people at the Orphanage. Clary was left at the doorstep of the Orphanage and all that was given was 'Clarissa' so they made up the last name of 'Fray' as well as her middle name. Hope that helped!**

Chapter 2

{1 week later}

Today was Friday, exactly one week after my College Graduation. I was doing nothing in particular, just sitting on a Park Bench in Brooklyn thinking what life with my real family would've been like. Do I have any siblings? A brother? Or.. A sister? I've always wondered what my parents were like. Did I look like my mother or my father? Or both? Who were they?

"You know, if you think too hard your brain my explode." I hear someone tease next to me. I jump, startled as I look next to me. He stood there watching me, a certain gleam in his light green eyes, similar to my own. The way his fair blonde hair fell over one of those eyes, soft as silk. I just wanted to reach out, to touch those strands, to curl my fingers in them. His lips tilt up at the corners in a soft smile, making my insides melt. How could he have this effect on me? He starts to wave his hand in my face and sits beside me, a bigger smile on his face now.

"So?" He asks me as if he was asking for my opinion on something.

"What?" I blink. "I uh.. What did you say?" The guy chuckles, and his laugh was just so... Hypnotic. It made me feel warm on the inside, it made me feel like we were the only people sitting here.

"What is a pretty girl like you doing here all alone?" I blush at this, and bite my lower lip.

"Uh.. Well, I was just getting fresh air." I reply, and he places his thumb over my lip, stopping me from biting it causing me to blush a deeper crimson.

"Well, may I have the pleasure of joining you?" He asks me, winking.

"Of course. What.. What's your name?" I don't know why I'd gotten so shy all of a sudden, but this boy was breathtaking. And of all the girls, he was talking to me.

"Jonathan. You can call me Jon, though. I like it better. Easier to say." He smiles again and I mentally groan in frustration. Didn't he know the effect he had on me when he did that? "What about yours?"

"Clarissa. Call me Clary."

"Ah. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Makes sense." Jonathan winks at me, looking into my eyes that were the same green as his own. "Clary. Care to go get some coffee with me? I'll pay."

"Of course, I'd love to." I reply, and he stands us both up, grabbing my hand gently and walking to Java Jones with me.

~~~~x.X.x~~~~

We sit down in a booth at Java Jones and Jon sits across from me.

"So, Clary. Tell me about yourself." He says, looking at me intently.

"Oh, uh.. Well, I'm not that interesting." I say, looking into his light green eyes.

"I'm sure there's so many things about you I'd love to hear."

"Well I was in an Orphanage till I was four years old." I reply. "My parents left me on the doorstep of that Orphanage only stating my first name: 'Clarissa'," I pause, and when I see Jon is still listening I continue. "My best friend, Simon Lewis, I met when I was four. His family adopted me. And.. I've lived with them ever since. Well, until I bought my own apartment."

"Sounds wonderful. I grew up without a mother, just my father. She left me before I was born my father says."

"Oh, I... I'd say sorry but it doesn't help. Trust me, I know."

"I understand. I appreciate it. Now, what do you want?"

"Coffee. Black ~ like my soul." I tell him and he chuckles, standing up and walking to the counter and ordering. He walks back over after a few minutes and plops back down into his seat.

"They'll be ready soon." He sends me a dazzling smile and I smile back, blushing a little. Man, I'd just met this guy and he was already having an effect on me. A girl eventually walks up, she had brunette hair and light blue eyes with a nametag saying: 'Laurel'. She blushes at Jonathan and giggles, leaning over our table and curling a lock of hair around her finger. I roll my eyes in disgust.

"Did you have a reason for coming here?" I ask, and she looks over at me disgusted and like she just noticed me.

"Yeah. I have your drinks." She hands Jonathan his gently and slams mine on the table causing it to spill a little.

"Thanks." I say politely, taking a sip of the coffee as the girl snarls and saunters off. I look over to see Jon laughing.

"What?"

"You were hilarious!"

"Uh.. How?"

"You totally made that girl mad. She's jealous. I don't care about her. Only you. You are my Coffee Date." I blush, smiling.

"Why thank you. I mean, I just don't care what they think of me. They can just screw themselves." I shrug, taking a sip of my coffee.

"You're cute." Jon points out randomly causing me to blush even more.

"Uh... Thanks."

"No problem, just stating the obvious." He replies, a soft smile on his face. I smile back, and we sip our coffee in silence.

~~~~x.X.x~~~~

"I had fun tonight." I tell Jon as he walks me up to the Lewis Household. He stops at the porch, taking my small hands in his large ones.

"Good. Because I was hoping.. That you'd go on another date with me this Friday Night?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven." He grabs my palm and scribbles seven digits on it, creating a warm feeling in my stomach.

"It was nice meeting you, see you Friday." I smile sweetly at him before walking inside the door and watching as he walks away, the warm feeling inside of me grows as I smile, thinking of our time tonight. Friday was exactly one week away, and I couldn't wait for that day to come. Something about Jonathan really made me happy and I liked that. He made me feel safe, he made me feel special. And I really, liked that.


End file.
